Elara Thorne POV:

The blood oath sent shockwaves through the pack. Whispers followed me everywhere, but no one dared to approach me directly. Kael’s display of power had bought me a bubble of wary respect. I used the reprieve to make a call.

I arranged a meeting with Finn Carter, my best friend and the son of the Redwood Pack’s Beta. We met at a small, neutral-ground coffee shop in the human town that bordered our territories. Kael came with me, a silent, imposing presence at my back.

Finn, a whirlwind of energy with spiky pink hair and bright green eyes, enveloped me in a fierce hug the moment he saw me. “Elara! Goddess, it’s good to see you on your feet. I heard what you did. Legendary.”

Over Finn’s shoulder, I saw Kael’s jaw tighten. When Finn released me, Kael subtly shifted his position, placing himself a fraction of an inch closer to me. It was a small, proprietary gesture that Finn didn't miss.

I introduced them. “Finn, this is Kael, my new mate.”

Finn’s cheerful demeanor became more serious as he sized Kael up. He could feel the power rolling off him in subtle waves. “A pleasure,” he said, though his eyes were full of questions.

I didn’t waste time. “Finn, I’m taking back the Silver Moon Pack. Marcus is a corrupt Alpha who tried to sell me off for an alliance. I need your help.”

Finn’s loyalty was absolute. “He’s a snake. Always has been. Just tell me what you need.”

“I need an ally powerful enough to make my adoptive father and the Blackwood family think twice about challenging me,” I said, lowering my voice. “I need you to use the Redwood intelligence network. I want you to find any information you can on the Lycan royal family. The Voss clan.”

Beside me, Kael, who had been silently sipping his coffee, went utterly still. The tiny movement, the slight pause in the cup’s journey to his lips, was almost imperceptible. But I saw it.

Finn’s eyes widened. “The Voss family? Elara, that’s just a myth. And even if it weren’t, the legends say they were the sworn enemies of the Blackwoods. You’d be bringing a war to your doorstep.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” I said, my voice hard as steel. I had no idea how right I was. “I need that war.”

Finn sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Alright. I’ll see what I can dig up. But be careful. You’re playing with ancient fire.” He turned his attention to Kael. “So, man. What pack did you say you were from?”

“No pack,” Kael replied, his voice flat and dismissive.

Before Finn could press further, I cut in, saying Kael preferred not to talk about his past.

After Finn left, Kael and I sat in silence for a moment. “Why the Voss family?” he asked, his voice neutral.

I stared out the window at the bustling street. “When I was a child, my mother told me stories. She said the White Wolf, my ancestor, was a child of the Goddess. And the Voss clan were her sworn protectors. If there’s any true justice left in this world, it resides with them.”

I felt his gaze on me, intense and unreadable. He didn’t know that he was the very justice I was searching for.

Back in my suite, I poured over the data Nina had sent, compiling a damning report on Zane’s embezzlement that I would present at the birthday party. While I worked, Kael stepped out onto the balcony. I saw him pull out a phone, his back to me.

His voice was too low for me to hear the words, but the tone was one of unquestioned authority. A few minutes later, he came back inside. He didn’t mention the call, and I didn’t ask. I was too focused on my own plans.

I had no way of knowing that he had just spoken to his Beta, Ryker. I didn’t know he had ordered all traces of the Voss survivors to be scrubbed from every network Finn might access. I didn’t know that the Blackwood family was Kael’s target for a much older, much bloodier reason.

He stood by the window, watching me work, his expression softening into something I had never seen before.

*You don’t have to search for the Voss family,* I would later learn he was thinking. *I am already here. And I will give you back everything they took from you.*

Elara Thorne POV:

Tonight was the full moon, the night of the Pack Run. It was a time for the pack to come together, to let their wolves out and reaffirm their bonds. I intended to use it to cement my return. Kael, of course, would be by my side.

As the pack gathered at the edge of the forest, the air thick with anticipation, Kael excused himself. “I’m going to scout the perimeter,” he said, his eyes scanning the crowd. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched him go, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach. Left alone, I felt the familiar weight of the pack’s stares. I wandered away from the main group, seeking a moment of peace near a grove of ancient oaks.

That’s when I saw him. Kael wasn't alone. He was standing in the shadows of a large tree, speaking with a woman. She was tall, regal, and radiated a power that made the air around her shimmer. She was a high-level Lycan, and she was breathtaking.

I was too far away to hear their words, but I could read their body language. The woman’s posture was dominant, authoritative. At one point, she reached out and cupped Kael’s cheek, a gesture that was both intimate and commanding. And Kael… Kael inclined his head, a subtle act of deference. Of submission.

A hot, possessive jealousy clawed its way up my throat. My wolf snarled in my head. *That female thinks she can claim what is ours!*

The thought struck me like lightning. She was his Alpha. The woman he belonged to before he came here. He was bound to her, and our blood oath, our deal, meant nothing. The realization was a bitter pill to swallow. I had claimed him, but he had never truly been free.

The woman handed Kael a small, intricate object—it looked like a family crest—before turning to leave.

I didn't think. I acted.

I strode across the clearing, my boots crunching on the fallen leaves, and planted myself directly between them. I ignored the sheer force of the woman's aura and fixed my gaze on her, my chin held high.

“Get away from my mate,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

Kael’s eyes widened in genuine shock. The woman, however, simply raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, a flicker of amusement in her gaze.

“Your mate?” she asked, her voice like honey and steel.

I ignored her, turning to Kael. I reached into the inner pocket of my jacket and pulled out a folded document. It was the deed to the eastern section of the Blackwood Forest, a piece of land I now controlled. I slapped it against his chest.

“This is yours now,” I told him, my voice ringing with an authority I didn't know I possessed. Then I turned back to the woman, my eyes blazing. “Whatever hold you have on him, whatever he owes you, I’ll pay it. Double. He’s free of you. He belongs to me now.”

I was trying to buy his freedom, to purchase his loyalty with the only currency I understood: assets.

The woman stared at me for a beat, then at Kael’s stunned face. And then she laughed. It was a rich, melodious sound that held no malice, only pure, unadulterated amusement.

Kael looked mortified, but underneath the embarrassment, I saw something else flicker in his eyes. A warmth. A deep, profound pleasure. He realized what was happening. I was jealous. I was fighting for him.

The woman, clearly enjoying the show, gave a theatrical shrug. “Well, if you put it like that… he’s all yours.” She gave Kael a look that plainly said, *You’re on your own, nephew,* and then vanished into the trees.

I stood there, feeling like a victorious warrior, and turned my triumphant gaze on Kael.

He looked down at the deed in his hand, then back up at me, the laughter finally breaking through his composure. A slow, breathtaking smile spread across his face, transforming his harsh features into something devastatingly handsome.

“So,” he said, his voice a low, teasing rumble. “I’m yours now?”

My cheeks burned. “It’s part of the deal,” I said, trying to sound businesslike. “As my mate, you can’t have divided loyalties.”

He took a step forward, backing me against the trunk of the oak tree. He leaned in close, his presence overwhelming my senses. His deep voice vibrated through me as he whispered in my ear.

“As you command, my Alpha.”